She clenched her fists and said, "We are just asking the land, we are not doing anything else. They won't punish us for no reason."
She led the two of them shakily to the door.
The officer guarding the gate glanced at them sideways and ignored them.
"Hey, brother, we want to see the clerk in charge of land transactions. Can you please let him know?" Chunxiao spoke bravely.
The officer looked at them and said, "Wait." One of them went in.
Chunxiao breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately he went to pass the message.
They lingered anxiously at the door for about an incense stick of time, and the officer who had gone in came out again, "Follow me."
Chunxiao and a few others followed the official into the county government compound. She thought it was just like what they saw on TV, where the court would be held as soon as the door opened. But it turned out not to be the case. This was probably an office yard with many rooms and a large front yard. They passed through the porch and were taken to a side yard where there was a person sitting in the guest hall.
The officer took them to the place and left without saying anything.
Chunxiao squeezed her hands back and forth under her sleeves, then knelt down in the living room, "This humble lady greets the Master of the Registrar."
She didn't know his first and last name, but kneeling before an official was always right. Shuwen and Xingfu also knelt down immediately.
The man smiled and said, "Please stand up. This is a business transaction, no need to kneel. My last name is Qian. Please sit down. Are you here to buy land as well?"
This "also" is not very good, Chunxiao and the others sat aside.
"In reply to the chief clerk, we are indeed here to buy land. We are new to Guibaodi, and we asked the real estate agent and found out that the land transaction is directly managed by the county government, so we came here." This chief clerk Qian has a friendly face and a friendly figure.
"How much land do you want to buy and where do you want to buy it?"
There is land here! You can choose! But how can she, a foreigner, know how much to buy and where to buy?
"I wonder what the land price is in Pengdong County, and how many plots of land are available for sale?"
"The average price of land is 7 taels, the inferior ones are 5 taels, and the good ones are 8 or 9 taels. It depends on how much you want. Some of the land we have for sale is sold privately. The price is set by the seller, and it is also under the name of the county government. The amount under the name of the county government is larger, so the price is naturally negotiable."
Chunxiao was about to ask more when the chief clerk suddenly collected the book and said, "A lot of people have come to the county to buy land recently. I'm afraid you all came to me to buy more land. I've already noted down the names of the first few people. Please also register your names and addresses. I'll pick a date and take everyone to visit the various plots of land. We can then negotiate the price for the plots you like."
This clerk seems to be a sly old shrew. He's taking the sellers with him. If everyone takes a fancy to a property, the price will naturally go up, and the county government will probably take a big cut. But this is also a good thing. A deal led by the county government shouldn't go wrong. At least now there is land, so we can wait and see.
Chunxiao reported his registered name and told the inn where he was staying.
"Okay, the registration is valid. You can go back first. Tomorrow is the Little New Year, so you should have a good time and spend some time in our county. There are still many interesting places in our county."
"Thank you for your concern, Master Zhubu. I'll trouble you to help arrange it."
"Sure! Sure!"
Several people came out of the county government and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I think this chief clerk has a pretty good attitude. I used to think all officials were mean-spirited."
"I was terribly frightened before I went in, Miss. This is my first time meeting an official."
"I've already said that we're just discussing business, not committing a crime. There's nothing to be afraid of. Now we're just waiting for the county to arrange for us to look at the land." She just hoped that the county government would be more efficient, and not put on airs and delay. She couldn't afford to waste this time.
"So what are we going to do today and tomorrow?"
"Of course there's work to do." Chunxiao looked at Shuwen. "You two, divide the work. Help me find out some prices. For example, where can I buy cattle? What's the price range? How much do hoes, plowshares, and machetes sell at blacksmith shops? How long is the delivery time? How many blacksmith shops are there? What's the price of grain in this area? It would be best if you could ask about everything related to food, clothing, housing, and transportation. If we buy land, these things will need to be bought urgently. We can't just sit around and wait. Even if we don't buy the land by then, we won't lose anything."
The two of them immediately became motivated, "Aunt, don't worry, I will definitely ask you clearly."
Many shops on the street have started hanging lanterns in front of their doors. I didn’t expect that tomorrow is the Little New Year so soon.
Indeed, they had been on the road for almost ten days. She wondered how things were going back home, and after only a few days, she was already feeling homesick.
On the second day, Little New Year, shops on the street hung festive lanterns and opened their doors to welcome customers.
Shuwen and Xingfu went out early in the morning and agreed to come back for lunch at noon. She was in the house calculating how much land to buy and how much money the tools and equipment would cost. If it was suitable, it would be best to buy a larger, ready-made farm, even if it was a little more expensive.
At noon, the three of them gathered together to eat dumplings. The lobby was filled with people from other places eating dumplings, which made the New Year's Eve seem less lonely.
In the afternoon, Shuwen and Xingfu went out again and didn't come back until many shops closed.
Chunxiao quickly ordered them food, "Eat quickly, you must be starving."
Shuwen smiled at her while eating his meal. "Aunt, I've learned a lot today. I'll ask the waiter to get a pen and paper to write it down for you later."
"Please write it down for me, I'm afraid I'll forget." After a day of running, Happiness was finally enjoying a cup of hot soup. It was so wonderful. "Miss, besides food and cotton, the prices for tools are pretty reasonable here. We made a hoe a long time ago for 9 cents, and it's still 9 cents if you ask now."
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